2010

Parolees: Patients Or Pawns?

By CAMILLE GIGLIO

April 6, 2011 - San Francisco, CA - PipeLineNews.org - According to information contained in a kaiserhealthnews.org release, "The East Bay is home to some of the highest concentrations of ex-offenders in the state. About 6,500 people, or 5 percent of the 130,000 released every year from state prisons, are paroled to Alameda County." [source, Rick Schmitt, "Health Care Expands For Ex-Offenders in California," "Health Care Expands For Ex-Offenders in California," Kaiser Health News, http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/stories/2011/march/28/schmitt-ex-offenders-health-care-program-expansions.aspx?referrer=search]

On top of this, due to a Federal judge's ruling [ 2/09/09] that state prisons were overcrowded causing a "violation of prisoners' rights," it has been estimated that up to 58,000 prisoners in general would be receiving early release "causing a threat to public safety," declared Matthew Cate, California's corrections and rehabilitation secretary. [source, CNN, http://articles.cnn.com/2009-02-10/justice/california.prisons_1_prison-system-early-release-don-specter?_s=PM:CRIME]

The aforementioned article did not indicate whether those chosen will be the older, perhaps more rehabilitated criminals or the younger variety, recent unrepentant additions to our supposedly overflowing prison system. It did however reflect the concerns of several unnamed authorities, strongly suggested that these early release prisoners will evidence problems of "serious disease...bringing high rates of communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and serious mental illnesses." These early parolees will also be in need of just about every community service available - housing, jobs training, drug addiction counseling, food assistance, etc. Of note, many of these programs will be temporarily swelled with an infusion of federal dollars which are sure to then quickly go away as the national budget difficulties come into clearer focus across party lines.

One big question is whether the new services provided for parolees will be made available inside institutions totally unsuited to dealing with the attendant risks, local schools, churches or fire departments near you.

When Governor Brown rages against the legislators who have withstood demands to pass an inflated budget and declares that schools and public safety services will be in dire straits if the budget isn't passed, he isn't referring to fireman not being there to put out your house fire, or a policeman to chase down a burglar. He's talking about being deprived of the money to fund this expansion of health care services which of course includes training the workers to provide these new welfare benefits.

Several recently approved programs dealing with healthcare, "work force development" [cradle to grave social engineering] and child care are converging upon unsuspecting communities. These programs carry huge price tags which for the time being will be funded with federal and state tax money. But people should not expect this situation to last. This is the reason behind the big push for cities and counties to form public/private partnerships because cities, counties and local residents will find themselves paying for the upkeep of government handout-dependent residents when the government runs out of money. At that point, local communities will either have to raise taxes on local citizens, go begging to private foundations and other government entities for funds or simply halt provision of the new services. Perhaps they will have to do a combination of all three. But, be assured that all of this new funding will come with, as yet unknown, strings attached.

Regarding these early release offenders, cities are financially motivated to look forward to being able to spend other people's money, thereby expanding their political role and importance. Additionally, with the prospect of employing more local residents, city revenues are bound to rise. As this is written, lawyers are working full-time to get their clients released and community non-profits are gleefully scurrying around hiring and expanding facilities to handle the expected large influx of needy people. All these groups are trooping up to Sacramento, lobbying legislators to include them and their interests in the budget.

Last, but not least are the churches whose clergy members are busy writing homilies exhorting parishioners to be compassionate toward their less fortunate, but oh so deserving, brothers and sisters. We are supposed to be unmindful that many of these "newly deserving" have long histories of violent crime.

Those who counsel such behavior subscribe to a concept called "Reparative Justice" blaming the criminal's activity on a community which failed these people in the first place.

Taking the opposite tack, law enforcement groups are screaming bloody murder over the possibility of losing jobs, salaries and pensions. Never mind that they seem not to have provided adequate attention to the prisoners while in their charge.

Don't for one minute think that any of this has to do with compassion for people with needs. Providing services to prisoners both inside and outside of prison has become a lucrative business. To the bureaucrats it's just another avenue to an engineered "full employment," even if it means creating needy people who will be taught to depend upon the state.

This is another aspect of the sustainable government planned with an eye on a balanced needs projection.

This release of prisoners became a done deal back in 2005 when Carter appointed activist judge, Thelton Henderson [the embodiment of quota advancement] issued a legal opinion declaring that California's prisons were overcrowded and he was going to, via judicial fiat, force earthshaking changes in CA's penal institutions, including early release of prisoners.

It has taken all these intervening years for further appeals to be heard, plans to be laid down, legislation to be written, funding to be put into place and communities to become prepared for this influx of returning sociopaths.

It is incumbent upon concerned voters to halt this process politically, lest the process end in a redux of the burdens this society is already facing because of the never-ending [and apparently legally unstoppable] wave of illegal immigrants which have descended upon the state.